Rhabdomyolysis

Clinic

• It is a condition in which damaged skeletal muscle breaks down rapidly.
• Symptoms may include muscle pains, weakness, vomiting, and confusion.

Signs / Symptoms

• Milder forms may not cause any muscle symptoms.
• More severe forms are characterized by muscle pain, tenderness, weakness and swelling of the affected muscles.
• If the swelling is very rapid, as may happen with a crush injury after someone is released from under heavy collapsed debris, the movement of fluid from the bloodstream into damaged muscle may cause low blood pressure and shock.
• Other symptoms are nonspecific and result either from the consequences of muscle tissue breakdown or from the condition that originally led to the muscle breakdown.
• Release of the components of muscle tissue into the bloodstream causes electrolyte disturbances, which can lead to nausea, vomiting, confusion, coma or abnormal heart rate and rhythm.
• Myoglubulinuria

Complications

• Compartment syndrome:
• Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC): A severe disruption in blood clotting that may lead to uncontrollable bleeding.

Causes

• Coxsackie virus
• Influenza A and B virus
• EBV
• Primary HIV infection
• Herpes viruses
• lasmodium falciparum (malaria)
• Legionella pneumophila
• Salmonella
• Autoimmune muscle damage: polymyositis, dermatomyositis